Bunkie mayor, aldermen dropped from sexual harassment lawsuit
Mayor Mike Robertson and the five City Council members have been dropped as individual plaintiffs in a sexual harassment/employment discrimination lawsuit against the City of Bunkie and Police Chief Bobby Corner.
The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Shreveport in August by former Bunkie Police Officer Myra Fontenot. The federal judge dismissed the six city officials as defendants on Feb. 9, leaving the city and Corner as defendants. No date for the trial has been set. Fontenot’s attorney is Allison Jones of Shreveport.
LAWSUIT ALLEGATIONS
In her lawsuit, Fontenot states she took time off from the Bunkie Police Department from Sept. 2014 to Feb. 2015. When she returned to work, she was made a shift supervisor, payroll officer, training coordinator and dispatch supervisor.
Fontenot alleges she endured sexual harassment in the form of sexual advances, jokes and comments from Corner. She further accuses Corner of inappropriately touching her “private areas.”
She contends she demanded Corner to stop his unwanted sexual advances in July 2015.
In November of that year, Fontenot filed discrimination charges with the EEOC. Within days of filing that complaint, Corner took her weapon and gave her a Taser. He also began following her at night during her shift.
On Nov. 9, Corner relieved Fontenot of her duties. She returned to her duties after meeting with Robertson about the matter.
On her first day back, she was called in and written up for insubordination and failure to follow procedures. She was also told her job was in jeopardy. The retaliation continued and became worse, she alleges in the suit.
Fontenot was told to get her firearms qualifications with any certified firearms instructor in the state of Louisiana. Once she received her qualifications, Corner contacted the instructor and advised him not to send Fontenot's scores to Baton Rouge. After she completed 20 hours of training, Corner again contacted POST and refused to send in Fontenot’s record.
On April 2, 2016, Corner had an officer tell Fontenot to bring in all of her police-issued equipment. On April 7, Corner said he would not accept her firearm. She continued to work at BPD.
On May 9, Fontenot amended her charge with EEOC to include retaliatory acts. The next day, Fontenot was sent home by Corner with no explanation.
Fontenot went back to work on June 8. Corner told her she had been terminated.
She notes that she has never received any paperwork from the city concerning her termination nor COBRA paperwork that would allow her to continue paying to receive health insurance benefits until she finds a new job.